Translator Positioning in Characterisation: A Multimodal Perspective of English Translations of Luotuo Xiangzi

Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) to Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS), to three translations of a classic Chinese text, Zhao proposes a new model for linking translator positioning with translational norms in the target culture.

Zhao combines the Appraisal model from SFL with a characterisation model to describe the role of translator positioning in character construction. Looking at three different translations of the classic Chinese novel Luotuo Xiangzi, she uses corpus tools to compare the opening and ending chapters of each translation, identifying textual patterns of translator positioning. She then analyses and compares the cover designs of the translated novels and reconstructs the translational norms governing the translator’s positioning in characterisation. In doing so she contributes to DTS by developing a systematic and consistent framework to analyse verbal and visual elements in translated novels. Her multimodal analysis also provides insights into the broader patterns of translated language.

An insightful read for scholars interested in both theoretical and empirical approaches to translation studies.

Minru Zhao is Lecturer at the School of Foreign Studies of South China Normal University and a doctoral student in translation studies at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research interests include translation studies, discourse analysis, stylistics and narratology.